Chapter 15: Scouting

Telegrams and information flew in front of me like snowflakes, such as the movements of the puppet troops in the various highlands, the ammunition and ammunition that were urgently delivered, the movement of supplies, and so on, but none of this was of my concern. I can just 'hand' over this kind of matter to Liu Shunyi to deal with, and what I care about is the reconnaissance platoon that was sent to infiltrate the enemy's camp to reconnoitre.

It's been seven or eight hours since they set off, and at their speed they should have arrived at their destination and completed their mission, but so far there has been no movement.

There will be no accidents, I walked around the pit restlessly.

They don't send telegrams back, which I understand. After all, it is necessary to infiltrate the enemy's position to carry out the mission, and it is necessary to maintain radio silence, otherwise if the puppet army is allowed to hear the position, it is very likely that the entire army will be annihilated.

However, it is precisely because of this that I am very anxious to wait for news in the tunnel.

Was it discovered by the enemy? Probably not, if discovered, the observation post I arranged at the top of the hill would at least hear gunshots.

Are you 'lost'? If I am road blind, I may 'get lost', and the soldiers of the reconnaissance platoon are all veterans who have been doing reconnaissance for many years, even if the enemy's highland terrain is complicated, it is impossible to 'get lost'.

So what is the reason why they have not heard from them until now?

I knew I should have sent more reconnaissance troops, and their intelligence could be said to be crucial. Because only they can determine whether the puppet army is changing guards with the US military units tonight, and if so, then it is basically certain that Van Vliet has chosen us as the location for the "show battle".

At this time, "Commander Cui" suddenly got into a fully disguised volunteer soldier outside the tunnel, stood in front of me and reported: "Gunshots and explosions came from the direction of the 902.8 heights, maybe the comrades of the reconnaissance platoon let the enemy find out."

"Hmm" I couldn't help but be surprised when I heard this, and I was about to go up with my rifle to take a look, but after thinking about it, the horizontal distance between the two heights was at least five or six hundred meters, and it was still at night, and there was jungle everywhere on the opposite side.

Thinking about it, I couldn't help but lean my rifle against the wall of the pit and sit back in my chair sullenly.

"Don't worry, Commander Cui" Li Pinghe handed me a cigarette and said slowly: "The comrades of the reconnaissance platoon are all good, even if they are discovered by the enemy, I think they will report the information to us."

Looking at Li Pinghe like a person who was fine, I couldn't help but glance at him with some surprise, and took the cigarette he handed over.

"Actually, ah......" lit a cigarette, Li Pinghe leaned in front of me and whispered: "I'm really fine, I was a little unconvinced just now, and then I figured it out that I was mentally prepared for this, Lin Xue has always regarded me as a brother, and I know it, so I never dared to tell her...... Do you think I'm such a stingy person? ”

"It's okay," I breathed a sigh of relief.

I don't know why, now that I listen to Li Pinghe's words, I have relaxed a lot after being nervous and anxious. Today's performance is a little abnormal, usually I wouldn't be so impulsive, if I'm not calm like this, then what kind of sniper am I am, maybe, it's the emotional impact on me, this kind of influence is not only from Lin Xue, but also from Li Pinghe. Because I don't want to lose this comrade-in-arms plus brother.

"Besides......" Li Pinghe patted me on the shoulder and said, "I can see that Xue Mei really likes you, and a 'colorful' head like you is also worthy of Xue Mei." I have such a good sister as Lin Xue, and you have such a 'colorful' brother-in-law, what more could I ask for? But you have to promise me that you won't bully Lin Xue in the future, otherwise I'll be over with you."

"Hmm" I nodded without thinking about it, and then I couldn't help but chuckle in my heart, and I thought of Jin Qiulian in my mind. At this time, if Li Pinghe knew that there was still a Jin Qiulian, I don't know......

"To tell the truth, Captain Cui" Li Pinghe shook his head with a wry smile and said: "Defeat in your hands, I am convinced." Because sometimes I think that if I were to be a 'woman', I would definitely take a fancy to you."

With a coax, the two couldn't help but look at each other and laugh, and the mustard between each other suddenly flew out of the clouds.

"Okay, let's concentrate on fighting" Li Pinghe clenched his fists and gestured in front of me, nodded and said: "Don't be distracted by these things anymore, give those United Nations troops a little bit of power."

What else can I say in the face of Li Pinghe's 'mind'? Only hugged Li Pinghe tightly and shook it for a while, and then shook hands with each other. When I got up from my chair again, I felt like I had lost the stone on my back.

"Commander Cui" At this time, a telephone soldier suddenly shouted at me: "It's the ...... of the reconnaissance platoon."

The busy people in the tunnel quieted down in an instant, I hurriedly took three steps and two steps to meet it, took the phone and asked into the microphone, "I'm Cui Wei, what's the situation?" ”

"Commander Cui......" The intermittent voice of a soldier came from the other end of the microphone, he seemed to be injured, and the sound of gunfire and explosions was constantly heard around him.

"Commander Cui," he took a breath and continued: "The enemy is very well defended tonight, it seems that they want to hide something, we caught a tongue and didn't hurry to ask, they found out." But we see the Yankees, repeating, there are ...... that attack us."

There was a muffled grunt, and no matter how much I called, there was no movement on the other end of the phone. Then came a few crisp gunshots, and everything fell silent. The soldiers in the pit knew what this meant, and they couldn't help but take off their hats and look at the microphone quietly......

"Pick up Master Pang immediately" I didn't hesitate for a moment, because I knew that now was not the time to vent my feelings.

"Yes" The phone rang immediately, and when it was connected, he handed me the microphone.

"Division Commander Pang" I said into the microphone: "According to our reconnaissance, we found that the enemy on the 902.8 heights is quietly changing guards, replacing the puppet army with the US army, and the strength is unknown. It is speculated that the U.S. military chose our army's position as the attack location, and asked the division commander for instructions."

"Okay, it's finally here," said Division Commander Pang on the other end of the microphone: "The divisional artillery battalion has been transferred to your command, and you will resolutely repel the enemy's attack, and you will not give up an inch of land to the enemy."

"Yes" When I put down the phone and looked around at the soldiers around me, the soldiers came to their senses, and then they made phone calls, sent telegrams and telegrams, and threw themselves into their busy work.

It's going to be a war again, and it's not long before I get out of the nightmarish battle in Shangganling, and it's time to start another battle. In the days of North Korea, it seems that as long as you do not return to China, you will not really leave the battlefield.

It should not be said that even if you return home, you are still fighting, it is a different kind of war

I couldn't help but take a deep breath, maybe it was because of the 'mixing' of air in the tunnel, and I suddenly felt a little stuffy in my 'chest'

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The next day, the enemy's strategic intentions to attack on the positions of our troops became more and more apparent. Although the U.S. military deliberately concealed it, for example, it still used puppet troops to garrison the forward positions on the high ground as usual, and the patrols were also troops of the puppet army. However, we all know very well in our hearts that the good is just a trick by the US military, and the reconnaissance planes in the sky are always circling around our heads, intentionally or unintentionally, and have already 'revealed' their intentions.

By the time we received a telegram from our superiors and learned that the KPA agents lurking in the puppet army had discovered that a large number of high-ranking officials and journalists from various countries had formed a group to march in the direction of Wenden-ri, we could basically be sure.

Sure enough, just as we expected, at twelve o'clock that night, as several red 'colored' flares rose into the sky, the enemy's artillery rang out.

Shells flew to our positions with a whistling sound, and then there was a loud explosion, shaking the entire heights. Soon after, enemy planes also came, and under the light of searchlights and flares from the 902.8, 973, and 883.7 heights on the opposite side, they threw aerial bombs and incendiary bombs at our high ground like eggs.

Suddenly the whole highland was ablaze, and under the light of flares and searchlights, the explosion sent up dust, gunsmoke, and burning trees filled the world.

Then I wondered, how could the Yankees start bombing at twelve o'clock in the middle of the night? Could it be that they still have to fight us at night? After more than half an hour, seeing that the US troops showed no sign of stopping the bombing, I realized that these guys were not going to fight with us at night, but were going to bomb like this until dawn.

Van Vliet really deserved his name for the amount of ammunition 'medicine', and the commander of the Eighth Army was famous for never sparing 'medicine' on the Korean battlefield. This "performance battle" is even more related to his reputation and future, so of course he will not save.

But let's be honest, there is some truth to this. The bombardment in the middle of the night, the rumbling of artillery and the shaking like an earthquake were enough to make the soldiers stationed on the high ground unable to rest, and even collapse if their psychological quality was poor. By the time they attacked the next day, our army would naturally be exhausted.

But this is just Van Vliet's wishful thinking, not to mention our 538th Regiment, the entire 180th Division fighters fought on the Korean battlefield, and they already knew what was going on with the Yankees' aircraft artillery as early as the five battles. If this was in the early days of the Korean War, they might have been afraid, because the soldiers had never bombed the little Japan and the Kuomintang so fiercely before. But now...... The warriors were just singing and beating a drum. This is not? As soon as the U.S. bombing began, some soldiers set up a chessboard on the table and went on a killing spree.

I have experienced this kind of scene on Shangganling for more than a month, and I am almost used to it, so I don't feel anything. I'm a little worried about whether Jiang Changshun's company can stay calm under such circumstances. Especially Lin Xue's little girl...... I should have gone to their tunnels to see them.

When I looked out of the tunnel in boredom, I thought that Van Vliet also had the intention of taking advantage of the darkness to show reporters the force of the US military. This is not? The light of the flares and searchlights outside illuminated the entire highland in snow-white, the group of artillery shells whistling with the light of the fire, the dense sky with warplanes hovering or diving, and the sky-high flames and gunpowder smoke rising everywhere, what a magnificent war scene

In my opinion, those who have never seen such a situation and reporters may be shaking in the shaking of the earth, and they will not even be able to hold their cameras steadily.

That's right, that's what Van Vliet was all about, he didn't just want to use these shells to deter our volunteers, but he also wanted to intimidate those journalists. However, his wishful thinking is only afraid that it will be in vain again, the higher the so-called climb, the worse the fall, he has made such a high-profile appearance from the beginning, which is destined to be even more disgraced after his failure......

But at this time, victory or defeat is still unknown, and now I need rest

So I didn't think much about it, and habitually took out two balls of cotton 'flowers' to plug my ears, rolled them into the bed, and dreamed in the suspicious eyes of the soldiers.

In the early morning, when the sound of the shells stopped, I woke up naturally. This was a habit that was developed during the battle in Shangganling. I couldn't hear it, but my body felt the ground shake all the time. Once the vibration stops, the sense of danger naturally pulls itself out of its sleep.

The first thing I did when I woke up was to pull out the cotton 'flower' stuffed in my ears, and then I heard Li Pinghe report in front of me: "All the wired communication lines have been blown up, the walkie-talkies are not well prepared, and it is difficult to give full command."

This is something I expected a long time ago, and I replied without thinking about it: "You are responsible for using walkie-talkies to communicate with your superiors, and I will be notified by an important military intelligence correspondent that I will take command of the position."

Li Pinghe also knew that this was my combat habit, so he didn't say anything, just patted me on the shoulder and said, "Be careful"

I nodded and smiled, grabbed the sniper rifle leaning against the wall of the tunnel, and took Xu Yongwei and Zhang Mingxue out of the tunnel.

When I got out of the tunnel, I saw that the high ground in front of the good guy still had the shadows of the bushes and woods that used to be, and all of them had turned into a scorched earth and craters. Trenches more than one meter deep and 'crossing' trenches were also blown to the ground. The entire plateau, which had been covered with a thick layer of snow, was gone, and the hard frozen soil was blown into powder half a meter deep, and the entire position was shrouded in raging fire and billowing smoke.

I forcibly suppressed the urge to run to the tunnel of the Ninth Company to see Lin Xue, and followed the soldiers to crawl towards the top of the mountain.

We had to be very careful, because the enemy planes were hovering over us, and from time to time they would swoop down and drop a bomb or 'fire' at us. However, because the fighters were very scattered among each other, and there were craters everywhere on the slope, as long as the enemy plane dives into the crater, it basically has nothing to do with us.

I climbed to the top of the hill and poked my head out to look down, and a large area of black pressure of American troops spread out a few hundred meters in front of our position. Raising the binoculars, dozens of tanks roared in a line at the foot of the mountain, each adjusting the angle of the tank guns and the high-firing machine guns. Look at the 902.8 on the other side...... American steel helmets and black 'holes' and 'holes' muzzles appeared in the aperture of my telescope.

Obviously, the situation is very unfavorable to our army, and the US military has taken advantage of the time and place. In a way, Van Vliet chose to play a "show battle" here, and it does make sense.

As several signal flares rose into the air, the US military's weapons of all kinds quickly opened fire....... Tank guns, mortars, guns of all kinds, and even fighter jets in the sky began to dive down on us. Bullets and shells fired from all kinds of weapons poured down on us from all directions, causing the earth and rocks of our army's positions to fly in a chaotic manner, the sound of artillery roaring, and the whistling of bullets and shrapnel everywhere. We barely came out of it......

The American infantry took advantage of this moment to shout and rushed towards our position.

I lay on my stomach on the ground and waited, waiting......

At this time, I didn't poke my head out, there were bullets everywhere outside, and poking my head out was tantamount to death. So I didn't see the American troops, and I don't know how far they rushed. The fighters didn't poke their heads out, and if they did, they all died, so the fighters didn't know how far the American troops had rushed.

But I wasn't worried, because I knew that if the Americans rushed to us, the enemy's covering fire would definitely be weakened, otherwise their bullets would hurt their own people. So...... I only have to listen to the sound of their guns to know if the enemy is rushing at me.

After thinking about it, I shouted an order to the fighters beside me: "Get ready with bayonet grenades"

Hu Biao had been following me for a while, and when he heard my order, he knew my intentions, so he immediately commanded the troops to load their guns with bayonets, and then 'draw' grenades from their waists and set them in front of them.

It's close

I heard the howls of the American troops, and they all rushed up hysterically, and they seemed to have no doubt that under such artillery fire and such firepower, the volunteers would surely be blown to powder like those rocks. So I rushed up without hesitation, shouting louder than I had ever heard

It's closer

I could almost hear the clatter of their boots on the gravel, but I still didn't order the soldiers to open fire, because I needed them to rush closer.

It wasn't until I saw the glow of American bayonets lit up over the position that I shouted: "Fight"

Almost at the same time as I gave the order, the fighters unanimously pulled the string of grenades and threw a volley of grenades at the enemy.

The shouting stopped, and of course the American soldiers also spotted the grenades thrown into their camp, so the shouting immediately weakened a lot.

There was a loud bang of "boom ......", but in a few seconds, their shouts turned into screams.

Then, without waiting for my order, the soldiers rushed out of the trenches with a shout of "kill".